I had an extra day in London on my own, so I thought I’d do a couple of Foyles. Foyles was founded in 1903 by two brothers, William and Gilbert Foyle, who started off selling second hand books. Waterstones bought them in 2018 and I decide to include them. First off, I headed to the one at Waterloo Station, which I have walked past on many occasions, but have never actually been inside! The Waterstones here opened in 2014. It’s very attractive inside and retains some of the station’s original features, including a rather marvellous cash desk.
The famous Waterloo Clock
The famous clock, made by Gents of Leicester, was installed at the station in 1919. I forgot to take a photo, but I’ve found a couple from previous visits.
The National Windrush Monument
This bronze sculpture by Basil Watson commemorates the Windrush Generation, the British African-Caribbean migrants who came to the UK in 1948 after the British Government encouraged people to come to help fill jobs in essential public services such as the NHS, transport and postal workers. Beside the memorial is a poem by Professor Laura Serrant OBE called You Called… and we Came.
You called…and we came.
In ships bigger than anything we had seen,
dwarfing our islands and covering them
in the shadows of smoke and noise.
Crowded, excited voices filled the air,
traveling to the ‘motherland’
– over weeks, over oceans that threatened to engulf us.
Driven by a wish, a call to save, to rebuild
and support efforts to establish ‘health for all’
in the aftermath of war.
You can read the entire poem here.
Janet's Adventures in Waterstones 